WINGS contact:

Ms. Ingrid Srinath
Secretary General Elect
Email: ingrid.srinath@civicus.org

Additional contact:

Mr. David Kalete
Director of Programmes
Email: kalete@vcivicus.org

Address:

Mailing address:

General telephone:

General fax:

General e-mail:

Website:

Type of organisation:

Year incorporated:

Purpose/Mission:

CIVICUS is an international alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world.

CIVICUS is dedicated to pursuing a world in which:

• citizen action is a predominant feature of the political, economic and cultural life of all societies
• private action for the public good is expressed by a rich and diverse array of organizations operating sometimes apart and sometimes in dialogue with business and government
• a healthy society is one in which there is an equitable relationship among citizens, their associations and foundation, business and governments

CIVICUS' special purpose, therefore, is to help nurture the foundation, growth, protection and resourcing of citizen action throughout the world and especially in areas where participatory democracy, freedom of association of citizens and their funds for public benefit are threatened.

Who we serve:

CIVICUS members come from all facets of civil society: private foundations, corporate giving programmes, nonprofit organizations, research institutes and interested individuals. CIVICUS has approximately 300 members worldwide, including a large number of umbrella organisations.

Geographic area:

Region:

Programmes:

Convenor - As a global network, CIVICUS brings together people for information, discussion and collective action. The flagship event for this activity is the biennial World Assembly, held in 1995 in Mexico and in 1997 in Hungary. In addition, CIVICUS sponsors regional meetings of donor, corporate, and citizen organization representatives to look at their sectors' issues and activities within the region.

Special Projects - As a global network, CIVICUS also conducts special collaborative projects to promote the visibility and vitality of civil society organizations (CSOs). Under the guidance of international task forces CIVICUS conducts three such projects:

• increasing the visibility and understanding of civil society, which produces case studies profiling successful ways CSOs have increased their visibility, as well as country profiles depicting the basic structure of civil society in 60 countries
• promoting international principles for Law and Regulations for CSOs, which highlights the legal principles underlying citizen participation and identifies legal issues all countries must face in regulating and facilitating the development of its civic sector
• resource mobilization, which draws together successful, practical strategies for sustainable funding of CSOs

Clearinghouse - As a global network, CIVICUS uses a variety of methods to increase and strengthen the lines of communication among its members,including a bimonthly newsletter, CIVICUS World, and electronic methods via its website (http://www.civicus.org). In addition, CIVICUS has built a reservoir of knowledge and contacts on civil society projects in order to respond to the numerous requests for information it receives each week from around the world.

Publications:

Sustaining Civil Society: Strategies for Resource Mobilization - This pioneering new book brings together a unique collection of funding strategies available to CSOs worldwide. Besides identifying eleven major strategies - from earned income to debt conversion - the book is illustrated by case studies collected from around the world.

Legal Principles for Citizen Participation: Toward a Legal Framework for Civil Society organizations - These principles are designed to identify legal issues every country faces in regulating and facilitating development of its civil society sector. The goal of this hand book is to create a useful, practical "road map" to these issues and suggest best practice options for addressing them.

Building Civil Society Worldwide: Strategies for Successful Communications - The 23 stories told here illustrate the work of CSO leaders around the world who are shaping new communications strategies to reach the audiences most important to them - business leaders, public sector officials, influentials in the media, citizens and leaders of CSOs themselves - with powerful messages about the contributions and potential of the sector.

The New Civic Atlas: Profiles of Civic Society in 60 Countries - The Atlas represents the first-ever detailed set of descriptions of the state of civil society on a country-by-country basis. The 60 country profiles contained in the legal and tax framework, the state of relationships with business and government sectors, and the names of resource organizations to contact for further information.

CITIZENS -Strengthening Global Civil Society - This book is a collective effort to capture the almost impossible: the common trends behind the richness and diversity of third sector activities in various parts of the world. It informs on the status of civil society in every region and outlines the challenges and opportunities for citizen action in a world in transition.

CIVICUS World - a bimonthly newsletter of CIVICUS; each issue features commentary on a particular issue facing global civil society, as well as short book reviews, profiles of interesting organizations, members news, and more. CIVICUS World is a service to members of CIVICUS.